'Fear is the only thing that stops you'

Ideas and ambitions are bottled up inside many of us. They twist and gnaw within, but people still suffer through existing jobs for the sake of financial security. A 33-year-old Londoner named Tracey Curran, however, has shown the courage to take the startup plunge. Curran did it when she and her husband were furloughed at their respective jobs due to the pandemic that has ravaged economies like an angry Tyrannosaurus. She did it when her third child is on the way.

According to a report by the BBC, Curran was furloughed at her job at fashion e-commerce platform Asos. Despite a pay-cut and an uncertain future at the company, she found that she was working long hours.

"You'd go to bed with your head swimming with retail figures and projected sales," Curran told the BBC.

If she was going to be overworked at the cost of her health and family life, she might as well do it for her own company, Curran thought. In October, she took the bold step of launching her vintage-inspired label, Sunday Archives.

“I've realised that fear is the only thing that stops you, I can't go to my grave knowing I didn't give it a try," Curran said. It is a sentiment many would identify with.

Curran expects to have her first collection ready by February. But what about survival till then? So, as her own business waits to get off the ground, Curran is working twice as hard. She has taken on two jobs - a zero-hours role at an Amazon logistics centre and then a gig with food delivery company Deliveroo.

“I'm mad, right? I know me and my family are suffering for this now, but I can see the end goal," Curran said. With time, she believes she will juggle family and work-life with more ease.

"It's been the most beautiful year for me, growing as a person," Curran says. She may not be a big name yet, but not every inspirational story has to involve the rich and famous. Curran, it can safely be presumed, has already done enough to motivate many.